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Monday, June 07, 2010

Sometimes I crave King Taco and when that urge hits I have to satisfy it. I think it’s the red salsa, in fact I know it’s the red salsa. It can’t even be called salsa, I prefer to just call it hot sauce. People email me all the time asking if I know the recipe., I don’t. It’s a secretly held recipe. No one knows it except for the big boss. That’s what I’m told. A businessman from South Korea wanted to hire me as a taco consultant to find out or replicate the king taco hot sauce recipe(true story).

The closest King Taco to the Westside is the King Taco at Alvarado and Pico. You get off the 10 at Hoover and take it up to Alvarado . There’s never anywhere to park at this King Taco. The parking lot is big enough but there are several other businesses that watch their parking spots. They hired a parking lot enforcer and he carries around orange cones to put in the empty spots that don’t belong to King Taco.

(suadero, carne asada)

When I first started going to King Taco back in the 90’s it was always an adventure. Back then I always drove shitty cars that would sputter and backfire every time I went over 60 mph. I was always breaking down going to King Taco. Back then I would go to the San Pedro St King Taco near downtown because I wasn’t aware of the King Taco at the corner of Hoover and Alvarado. Then one day I was driving down Alvarado and I saw King Taco and thought - shit all these years I’ve been driving to San Pedro St for King Taco when there was a King Taco so much closer. I tried to figure out how many extra miles I had driven because I wasn’t aware of this King Taco. Then I wondered how many extra tacos that could have bought me. I think a lot.

I used to just order carne asada at King Taco. Their al pastor is a little too sweet for me and the carnitas doesn’t really go with the hot sauce. But recently I’ve been ordering suadero and I like it a lot more than the carne asada. The suadero (beef rib) has a little more bite to it. It’s not overly beefy and doesn’t have the citrus flavor the asada does. It’s perfect for the hot sauce.

Lets face it, at King Taco it’s all about the hot sauce. It’s the way the coolness hits your tongue, the way the heat fills up your mouth and perfumes your senses. If your forehead sweats a little just the closest beverage, preferably horchata.

The King Taco at 3rd and Ford Blvd in East LA is my favorite King Taco for the simple fact that you can order from the truck. This King Taco is also one of the busiest locations but the lines are never very long because there are so many windows to order from. And unlike the Pico and Alvarado location nobody while chase you off with an orange cone.

my beef with king taco!I just hit the king taco on 3rd St yesterday I ordered a burrito and a taco. I cant deny the taste is great, but the skimpiness is infuriating! I paid $8.00 for a burrito and a taco where i could have bought 2 burritos anywhere else in east la for that price and the burrito is so small that the tortilla over laps due to the lack of meat inside, the taco also seems to get smaller as the price goes up. The price is getting so expensive i don't even see families eating there anymore only singles and couples. Sad from what King Taco meant to East LA on a Saturday night .

GO TO EL OSO TAOO"S IN ARLETA CA OR MCLAY ST I ""SAN FERANDO / GLENOAK"S" SAME " RED CHILE.THE OWNER WORKED FOR MR KING TACO @% YEAR"S AGO AND KNOWN"S HOW TO MAKE THE "CHILE > ARLETA ON VAN NUY"S BLVD.